Apparatus for the continuous wet processing of textile material



Aug. 23, 1966 H. G. MULLER J APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS WET PROCESSING OF TEXTILE MATERIAL Filed Feb. 10. 1964 INVENTOR HERNANN a. M R

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United States Patent 3,267,704 APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS WET PROC- ESSING 0F TEXTILE MATERIAL Hermann Georg Miiller, Herisau, Appenzell, Switzerland,

assignor to Aktiengesellschaft Cilander, Herisau, Appenzell, Switzerland Filed Feb. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 343,614 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Feb. 13, 1963, 1,7 97 63 Claims. (Cl. 68-62) The present invention relates to apparatus for the continuous wet processing of textile material in a stream of liquid.

Such devices are used for example for bleaching, dyeing, impregnating, degreasing, acidifying or lixiviatinlg, for example of woven or knitted textile sheets or webs.

Devices are known which, for accelerating the wet processing of textile goods, set in motion the treating liquid in proximity of the textile material or move the textile material itself, in order to cause a turbulent current acting on the material.

Devices are also used, in which the treating liquid is sprayed against the textile material at more or less elevated pressure by means of spray tubes. These devices all have the drawback that not the entire mass of treating liquid, but only a relatively small proportion of the liquid becomes fully effective and participates in the desired process with optimum action. Such devices thus require a large amount of liquid for a continuous procesing operation. For a continuous impregnating acidifying or leaching process such devices also require large and expensive plants, or the traversing speed of the material is so low that only small outputs will result. When such devices in which recycling of the treating liquid is provided, are used for the continuous bleaching and dyeing, comparatively much treating liquor must be circulated per unit of time.

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for wet processing in which a large proportion of the treating liquid participates in the desired. process and becomes effective to an optimum degree.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises two spaced walls extending substantially parallel to each other and forming a conduit for a stream of treating liquid, :means at one end of said conduit for feeding treating liquid into the conduit, means at the other end of the conduit for discharging treating liquid, the sides of said walls facing each other being provided with longitudinally spaced projecting pontions, the projecting portions on one of said walls extending towards the other wall and being staggered in longitudinal direction of said conduit with respect of the projecting portions of the other wall, means for feeding said textile web along said conduit and between opposite projecting portions of said walls, said web making contact with the ends of said opposite projecting portions, whereby the space between said walls is subdivided into a series of successive compartments formed on either side of said web and the stream of treating liquid in its flow from the inlet end to the outlet end of said conduit is compelled to traverse said Web in order to pass from one of said compartments to the following compartment.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, by way of example, two embodiments of an apparatus for carrying out the method, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinla section through the apparatus according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section through the apparatus according to the second embodiment, and

3,267,704 Patented August 23, 1966 ice FIGURE 3 is a transverse section through the apparatus along the line III-III of FIGURE 2.

The apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a trough 10 wherein two rolls 11 and 12 are arranged, which serve for guiding and deflecting a textile web 13. An overflow duct 14 secured to the right hand sidewall of the trough 10 and communicating with the interior thereof, serves for maintaining a constant level of the treating liquid .15 in the trough 10.

Two undulatory plates 16 and 17 are secured to the trough 10 and form guide walls which direct the liquid flow. The textile web 13 is passing upwardly between these two wave-shaped plates and alternately contacts the two plates 16, 17 at the inwardly projecting wave crests 18. A guide roll 19 arranged at the top of the conduit formed by the two plates 16 and 17, serves for defiecting the textile web 13 which leaves the conduit towards two squeeze rolls 20, 21 by means of which the continuous feeding of the textile web 13 is effected. To the right of the guide roll 19 a spray tube 22 opens into the conduit and discharges treating liquid 15 into the space between the two plates 16 and 17.

The web 13 which extends along the entire length of the undulatory conduit formed by the plates '16 and 17, subdivides the conduit in a plurality of compartments 23, 24, 25 owing to the contact lines established between the web and the successive wave crests 18 of the two plates. The treating liquid 15 discharged from the spray tube 22 first arrives in the compartment 23 formed by the web portions 23:: extending between the two uppermost wave crests 18 and by the portion of the wall 16 above the uppermost crest 18 of this wall. The treating liquid 15 must penetrate through the textile web 13 along the section designated by 23a, in order to arrive in the next following compartment 24 which is formed between the web sections 23a and 24a and the wall portion 17 extending between two successive wave crests 18. Likewise, the liquid 15 must permeate the textile web 13 a second time along the section designated by 2411, in order to pass from the compartment 24 into the compartment 25. Accordingly, the treating liquid 15 passes through the textile web 13 as many times as there are compartments formed by the web 13 and the portions of the undulated plates 16, 17 extending between two wave crests 18.

After the liquid has traversed several times the textile web 13 in this manner, it finally pases into the trough 10 which is disposed below the plates 16, 17 and then fiows out of the latter through the overflow duct 14.

The modified apparatus shown in FIGURE 2 comprises two substantially plane plates 116, 117 which extend parallel to each other in spaced relationship. Both plates are provided with longitudinally spaced projections or ribs 118, the ribs of one plate extending at right angles towards the other plate substantially one half of the distance between the two plates. In longitudinal direction, the ribs 118 of one of the plates are staggered with respect of the ribs 118 of the other plate. The other parts of the apparatus of FIGURE 2, as for example the trough 10, are not shown and essentially correspond to those of the apparatus of FIGURE 1. Thus a roll 112 is arranged underneath the two plates 116, 117. The textile web 113 passes over this roll 112 and is fed upwardly between the plates 116, 117. A guide roll 119 is arranged above the plates 116, 117, and the textile web 113 passes over this roll to a pair of squeeze rolls which are not shown and by means of which the continuous feeding of the textile web 113 is effected. The top end of the plate 116 carries a pipe connection 122 through which the treating liquid enters into the conduit formed between the two plates 116, 117.

When the web travels along the conduit formed by the two plates 116, 117 individual compartments 123,

124 are formed on both sides of the veb 113 by means of the ribs 118, and between the Web and one or the other plate, so that the treating liquid is compelled to pass across the textile web as many times as there are compartments 123, 12 In this second embodiment the textile web 113 passes in a substantially straight line between the plates 11%, 117, through the distance extending from the roll 112 to the roll 119.

The spacing between the two plates 16, 17 and 116, 117, respectively can be adjusted in both embodiments shown. As indicated in FIGURE 1 by dash lines, the plate 16 for example may be moved closer towards the plates 17, so that the textile web 13 will be substantially more defiected at the contact points 13'. On the other hand, the spacing between the undulated plates 16, 17 can be enlarged to such an extent that no deflection of the textile web takes place.

In the present embodiments the direction of flow of the treating liquid is in opposition to the direction of movement of the textile web. However, this how direction of the treating liquid may also be concurrent with the direction of movement of the textile Web. This will be the case, when the web 13 and 113, respectively is fed from the top towards the bottom of the apparatus.

The walls 16, 17 and 116, 117, respectively, which are arranged in upright direction in the embodiments shown and which guide the flow of treating liquid, could also be arranged horizontally or in any intermediate inclined position.

In place of a single treating unit an apparatus according to the invention could comprise a plurality of units arranged, for example in series one below the other, so that the same treating liquid can flow from one such unit to the next one, whereby the textile web is guided from one unit to the next following unit by means of guide rolls.

If a plurality of such units is arranged in series, and the treating liquid is directed from one unit to the next one, then for example in case of bleaching, dyeing and impregnating processes, the treating fluid, after having been discharged from the last unit, can be pumped back to the inlet of the first unit.

When the treating liquid is introduced into the apparatus under pressure e.g. by means of a pump, the penetration of the textile material takes place at a correspondingly hi her velocity of flow which can be varied as a function of the pump pressure and the sectional area of flow of the pipe connection at the inlet of the liquid.

In this connection it is also possible to admit only so much treating liquid that the individual compartments are not completely filled up with liquid, a damming of liquid then occurring in each of the various compartments according to the resistance which the textile web offers to the passage of the liquid.

On account of this damming eifect the liquid, when leaving the inlet tube 122;, tends to fiow from the middle of the textile web towards both edges 1311 of the web (FIG. 3) since the resistance to flow between the two walls 116, 117 beyond the zone of the Web 113 (i.e. between the edges 138 and the end walls 131) is smaller than in the zone of the textile web, because the liquid must not permeate the web in this zone. Owing to the transverse flow occurring from the middle portion of the textile web to its edges, the web travels Without any formation of folds or creases, without necessitating the use of expensive broad-stretching rolls.

The friction of the textile web on the ribs is small owing to the tendency of the liquid to form a fluid layer of the nature of a lubricating film between the textile web and the web engaging surface at the wave crests 18 or ribs 113. Should the friction, nevertheless, be too great so that the web would be mechanically impaired, then some or all Of the staggered projections 11% can 4 be provided with rolls 132 (FIGURE 2) which extend over the entire width of the web and are rotatably supported. Such rolls may also be used in the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for continuous wet processing of textile material in sheet or web form, comprising a first pair of continuous, upwardly directed, spaced walls substantially parallel to one another, a second pair of continuous opposed walls connecting the first pair to form an enclosing conduit for a stream of treating liquid, means at the top of said conduit for feeding treating liquid under pressure downwardly through the conduit, means at the bottom of the conduit for discharging treating liquid from the conduit, the inner surfaces of said first pair of walls being provided with vertically spaced staggered portions extending the full width of the first pair and to said second pair of walls and projecting inwardly to provide edges lying substantialy in a common plane extending longitudinally of said conduit, and means for feeding a tensioned sheet of textile material, having a width substantially equal to the width of said first pair of walls and the width of said staggered portions, upwardly in said conduit along said common plane and contacting said edges of the staggered wall portions to divide the conduit into a series of compartments formed on either side of the sheet of material and which except for the uppermost and lowermost compartments are completely enclosed by said first and second pairs of walls, said staggered portions of the walls and the sheet of material, whereby a stream of treating liquid in its fiow from the top to the bottom of said conduit is compelled to pass through the tensioned, moving sheet of textile material in order to move from one of said compartments to the following compartment.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for feeding treating liquid into said conduit includes a single inlet opening situated in the center of the width of said first pair of walls and to one side of a sheet of textile material being fed through the conduit in contact with the edges of said staggered portions.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first pair of walls are of undulatory wave-shape, said staggered portions being crests of the waves, and each of said compartments being formed by a wall portion extending between two successive wave crests and the portion of the length of the sheet of textile material contacting the two crests.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first pair of walls are planar in shape and disposed in substantially vertical planes, said staggered portions being substantially horizontal ribs integrally formed on said first pair of walls.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inner edges of said ribs mount rotatable rolls extending the full length of each rib for rolling contact with a sheet of textile material being fed along said conduit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,398,043 11/1921 Rall 68-205 X 1,627,037 5/1927 Karnpf et all 2,131,409 9/1938 Nai 8-151.2 2,344,557 3/1944 Mann et al. 68184 2,720,442 10/1955 Keggin 8-151.2 2,720,443 10/1955 Keggin 68l78 X 2,782,623 2/1957 Coc et a1. 68181 2,803,125 8/1957 Mesel: 6862 3,058,327 10/1962 Halblutzel et al 68184 3,128,616 4/1964 Giani 6862 3,204,434 9/1965 \Valls 6818l IRVING BUNEVICH, Primaly Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS WET PROCESSING OF TEXTILE MATERIAL IN SHEET OR WEB FORM, COMPRISING A FIRST PAIR OF CONTINUOUS, UPWARDLY DIRECTED, SPACED WALLS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER, A SECOND PAIR OF CONTINUOUS OPPOSED WALLS CONNECTING THE FIRST PAIR TO FORM AN ENCLOSING CONDUIT FOR A STREAM OF TREATING LIQUID, MEANS AT THE TOP OF SAID CONDUIT FOR FEEDING TREATING LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE CONDUIT, MEANS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONDUIT FOR DISCHARGING TREATING LIQUID FROM THE CONDUIT, THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF WALLS BEING PROVIDED WITH VERTICALLY SPACED STAGGERED POSITIONS EXTENDING THE FULL WIDTH OF THE FIRST PAIR AND TO SAID SECOND PAIR OF WALLS AND PROJECTING INWARDLY TO PROVIDE EDGES LYING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A COMMON PLANE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CONDUIT, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING A TENSIONED SHEET OF TEXTILE MATERIAL, HAVING A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF WALLS AND THE WIDTH OF SAID STAGGERED PORTIONS, UPWARDLY IN SAID CONDUIT ALONG SAID COMMON PLANE AND CONTACTING SAID EDGES OF THE STAGGERED WALL PORTIONS TO DIVIDE THE CONDUIT INTO A SERIES OF COMPARTMENTS FORMED ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SHEET OF MATERIAL AND WHICH EXCEPT FOR THE UPPERMOST AND LOWERMOST COMPARTMENTS ARE COMPLETELY ENCLOSED BY SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF WALLS, SAID STAGGERED PORTIONS OF THE WALLS AND THE SHEET OF MATERIAL, WHEREBY A STREAM OF TREATING LIQUID IN ITS FLOW FROM THE TOP TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID CONDUIT IS COMPELLED TO PASS THROUGH THE TENSIONED, MOVING SHEET OF TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ORDER TO MOVE FROM ONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS TO THE FOLLOWING COMPARTMENT. 